Did Microsoft Overpay for Its Facebook Stake?

This week’s chatter that Microsoft may have approached Facebook to discuss a possible takeover has created quite a buzz. But maybe Microsoft should be inquiring about getting a partial rebate on its $240 million investment instead.

Microsoft’s October purchase of a 1.6 percent Facebook stake implicitly valued the social-networking Web site at $15 billion. Even at the time, some people questioned such an eye-popping valuation. But as the months have passed, the number is looking even more bubbly. And not just to us: Several Web sites this week have questioned the value implied by Microsoft’s Facebook deal. On Friday, PEHub’s Dan Primack suggested it might be “one of the worst venture capital deals of all time.”

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

16... gives the defendants "Drug Cohorts"
23...Molly in snort bottles
24..."Mushroom Day" devoted to shrooms
28...Kelly would crap and piss over the floor
32..."Plaintiff's ingestion of cocaine became an indispensible prerequisite to defendant's willingness and interest to have sexual relations with her"
40...hidden cameras recorded coke snorting

(Clay one of Sage's alleged "drug cohorts")

and then there is this alleged "wife swap for business" with Marc Beer; CEO of Seattle Genetics.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Jim Chanos has been trumpeting his short on Caterpillar for a year. Blah blah blah. And for more than a year, we have been hearing that mining is in a slowdown, blah, blah, blah; and that China is in a slowdown, blah, blah, blah, and that CAT will make just $3.50 a year, blah, blah, blah, and that North America is just 15% of CAT's business, blah, blah, blah.

Now Chanos (yes I know it rhymes with Uranus) is founder of Kynikos Associates. And he chose the name because kynikos as it is the Greek term for cynic.

Today CAT reported blowout earnings. The stock was up 5 to 100. A cynical sort, could say that Chanos was missing his gnosis on CAT!

Meanwhile, CAT, bought back $4.5 billion in stock, and indicated that they would earn $6 this year, over 70% above Mr. Cynic's estimates!

At least the judge allows that after the election, so the pundits have something to talk about!

Last earnings, the stock gapped up 8 to 51, and then eventually sold off to 43 before rallying to 55; and then selling off to 46 last week--bouncing six points to 52 and now back to 49.

The stock should trade to 55 after earnings--And the call options are so rich--so why would the stock go down from here?

Heck call Carl Ichan--He'll tell you its a "no-brainer!"

Think about it--ISIS or ISIL or whatever you want to call them--supposedly gave death threats to the Twits who run Twitter because they were removing their tweets. And of course, the San Fransico drama boys at Twitter made much ado about nothing. ISIS can't even cross the border into Texas--So what makes someone think they can get to San Francisco. Are they going swimming?

And doesn't anybody think tthat ISIS reads theBrigade? You had over 90 pictures hot chicks dispersed with bombs dropping on ISIS and not a peep from ISIS. So they are going to San Fransico! Yeah--right!

Anyway, the link below will give you some real high resolution pics of some ISIS bombings and broads.

Well you get the idea. OK--let's be honest. Twitter, is such a great platform, that even the Twitter twits that run it--can't destroy it! Heck, even Wall Street tried to get in on that game and pretend that they were going destroy it when the stock was down to 30.

So why would you sell it here?

But you need a reason to buy beside football season? Well how about the larger iPhone?

I hated using Apple's dinky screen, but I didn't want to switch phones. But I just recieved this email.

Great news, your iPhone is on the way. Please review this email for important information to set up your phone quickly and easily.

So I'm getting the larger screen now.

Doesn't anybody think that the larger iPhones will will cause Twitter users to tweet more?

Besides being disgusted with Obama, as Dominic Adesanya's Instagram account shows, he can alo run fast---- 11.5 100 meters, 23.5 200 meters, and he can kick a K9 dog pretty well also. And now he'll get another 25,000 views, and the support of Fox news--lol!

Last year, IBM spent $14 billion on buybacks, including $6 billion in Q4 alone. In 2013 IBM increased their debt by $6 billion, and cup capex by $500 million.

This morning, IBM announced punk earnings, and they sold their $500 million losing per year microelectronics business, PAYING them $1.5 billion to take it off their hands.

So the market is punishing IBM's creative financing, non-growth, by knocking the stock down $15 dollars to 167.

IBM has just another $1.5 billion left on their stock buyback--IBM now has 990 million shares outstanding--less than 20 years ago, they had $2.5 BILLION shares. That means at the next Board meeting, IBM will announce another $10 billion plus buyback blah blah blah

So the creeping LBO of IBM continues..That being said, you can buy the stock here at 165.50.

Because the market needs to take a stand on all the creative financing by corporate America, because Lord knows its easier to buy back stock than actually grow sales! Because that's Wall Street's version of "smart.' Financial engineering!

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Who knew that the 'Noles were the Kardiac Kids? And check out Jimbo and Jameis after the game. As Jameis says--"We always rise!"

What a great game! And once ESPN's "Blame it on Jameis" campaign is really getting lame--Once again FSU played their hearts out--and there are some folks who can't stand a team of destiny--Especially going on two years straight! WOW!!!!

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Blame it on Jameis!! Noles to win by 5 touchdowns!!! Just like Wednesday we had the hand wringers in the stock market, we have the hand wringers on ESPN. And today, the real players in college football stepped up. Alabama crushed A&M 59-0, and West Virgina whipped pretender #4 Baylor 41-27.

The Irish will get chopped up tonight, as they are over-rated and since the opening game of this season (above) the Noles haven't played a complete game! Tonight that changes!

Thursday, October 16, 2014

All the hand wringing, all the worry, all the consternation--Oh My! The sky is falling--or so says Wall Street. It's 2008 all over again--or so says Wall Street. It's Ebola--Or so says Wall Street. The real reason Ebola is so fearful is that it sounds like Obama!

So get busy, and start buying. Oil under 80 is a tax cut--The 10 year under 2% means I can refinance--and so can everybody else.

The S&P 500 is making a standing at 1830; the Russell ain't going lower either--It already made its stand at 1050!